Southern Living Yankee

I don't know why, Memorial Day gives me a sad little spot this year. I think I'm trying to avoid it. On a lighter note, today is our wedding aniversary! Has it only been 6 years? Weddings, graduations, kids moving out, kids moving to Seattle, us moving to Dayton, Tom's three different jobs . . . It seems like several lifetimes packed into those few years. Thankfully they've been filled with happy stuff and no other close family funerals or serious health traumas. We're celebrating with an overnight at Shawnee State Park Lodge. It's 100 miles southeast of here, at the southernmost point in Ohio, just 5 miles from the Ohio River and Kentucky border. I'll tell you all about it next time. Right now I'm going to get ready to go! Have a happy Memorial Day!

This is the fourth day I've tried to post something, so please calm down and quit yelling!

I'm spending Mother's Day with the mother of all cold viruses. It started with a sore throat earlier this week that I got from Aaron. (He got it from Lauren, and she got it from her sister). I thought I dodged it--the sore throat just disappeared and I was fine on Thursday and Friday. But then, Friday night at the graduation I started sneezing; my head, throat and ears got all snuffy . . . I'm sure I infected the 500 people in the gym for the graduation, plus most of northeast Ohio. Here are pictures of the next innocent victims: Sorry, Dan & Kathy. We were so happy to see you Thursday night, and didn't realize we were "Typhoid Mary." Hope you get it, and get it over with before that new grandbaby comes! And Brooke and Chris, apologies to you, too. Look back on this picture to remember how good you looked without a wad of gooey kleenex in hand. (Although Chris, I don't know why the camera made you look like you've got a little Hitler moustache or...

Here's Brooke-- tassel moved and diploma awarded at her graduation Friday night. Tom and I were proud to be there to watch with Chris, his parents, Ed & Jane, and Pastor Bill and Jeri McMinn. Just in case you wondered if there was anything in that diploma folder. Go Brookie! We love you!

Aaron and Lauren went to the Jr. & Sr. Banquet along with their good friends Brett, Lindsay, and Jake. The dinner was on one of the riverboats down in Cinci. Reports are that it was delicious and they had a great time. Afterwards Aaron & Jake and a few others provided music for a hundred or so people at one of the afterglow parties. I just had to include this photo of the two cutest girls in the school. :)

Brad sent me these pictures. Nice, huh? He's still commuting so keep praying for housing closer to the job. Thanks.

Here's my dad, --oh excuse me, I mean, Tammy's father-in-law; her nephew, Brad; her mother-in-law; and her neice, Lisa. They're all at the camera store Brad managed in Seattle. As of today, he managing at larger store in Olympia. Guess I'll have to go take a picture of him there now. This is the view from Joe & Lisa's new apartment in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. In the distance you can see Puget Sound, and the cloud-looking stuff is really the snow-covered peaks of the Olympia mountains. As much as I enjoy the view of my little pond and the orange carp who live in it, I'm ready to go back for some more mountain gazing. Only two pictures today, sorry folks. When I add more pictures I lose the captions and it's causing me to sin. WRITING UPDATE: Pray for me especially on Thursdays, my writing days. Thanks a bunch!